


Third time's the charm

by ThePrimeOne



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alochol mentioned and shown in passing, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cats, F/M, Feelings Realization, First Meetings, Fluff, Food, No Plot/Plotless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26185519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePrimeOne/pseuds/ThePrimeOne
Summary: The first time in his life that Ashe concluded that love at first sight sucked was his final year of high school.The second time Ashe concluded that love at first sight sucked was during a rush to meet Caspar at the front of his apartment.Or, in which Ashe house sits and meets someone that changes his mind.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Petra Macneary
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29





	Third time's the charm

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably the most random nonsense modern AU I've written in a while. Idk how to feel about Petra's dialogue for the most part, but I think it's good to go.

The first time in his life that Ashe concluded that love at first sight sucked was his final year of high school.

After Ashe felt the small, yet intense tug at his heart for the first time, just like he'd read in those stories growing up brimming with optimism in a world that didn't deserve it, he felt a little afraid, yet exhilarated by the feeling at once. 

And despite the years of reading cheesy romance novels tropes that were unrealistic in hindsight, all it took was for him to fall in love for the first time for everything he perceived about it to come crumbling and to crash down slowly, piece by piece, day by day. 

Ashe often reminisced about Ingrid, and Annette, the girls he had developed some measure of romantic feelings for during his high school days, and missed opportunities and silly decisions. Ashe had unfortunately been too afraid to confess his feelings, in part due to his lack of self-confidence and diminishing feelings, to begin with. Still, he was well aware that they already held feelings for others, even if they didn't know any better. 

Ashe saw the way Ingrid glanced at Sylvain when no one else was looking as he happily gobbled down on her strangely presented yet delicious lunches she occasionally brought from her home to share- sometimes just for Sylvain. Ashe overheard the songs he knew Annette had sung about Felix. At first, she referred to him black cat that showered her with bad luck, that soon turned into rather affectionate songs about him, and how his smile made 'her tummy feel funny, but in a nice way'.

He still doesn't know how she managed to come up with a rhyme for that line.

Though Ashe hadn't meant to intrude on any of this situations-not intentionally-but, he wondered if the Goddess or some other higher power had decided to test on him as their guinea pig by playing with his heart. Two strikes and Ashe was almost out. 

But perhaps, it was for the best he rationalised. His feelings for them both, ultimately, were not unlike dandelion seeds after their bloom in the wind; light and fleeting wishes swept up in a gust of uncertainty and hesitance. No matter how much he yearned to feel the way his friends did for their person, he found it best to distance himself from such things; focusing most of his physical and mental efforts on completing his studies. After all, what good would the opportunities his adoptive father, Lonato Gaspard had granted him, be if he never used them correctly in the end?

Yet he still hoped that he might find another chance to redeem himself. Redemption, as the Solis Knight in one of his favourite stories so dramatically put, his heart being broken twice in oddly similar circumstances if Ashe stretched it a tiny bit.

And on a dreary night in the middle of Garreg Mach City, Caspar von Bergliez, a friend he'd made at Garreg Mach's orientation day, had shown him a picture that changed everything.

The two sat lazily on the living room couch, Ashe watching a culinary cooking show on the TV taking notes, and Caspar looking down at his phone.

Ashe looked at his roommate and noticed his creased brows, disappearing when his grin on his face turned up brightly. "Caspar, is everything alright?" 

"Huh?" Casper blinked, looking up at Ashe. "Oh, yeah, for sure!" Caspar nodded. "I'm just messaging a friend. She's been trying to move apartments for a while. She told me she just got the confirmation that she's moving with another friend of ours and it's going to be the apartment next door!"

Ashe returned the smile. "That's great to hear, Caspar! It'd be nice to have some new neighbours around here like you and Hilda. At least you won't be you two feeling as lost and out of place."

"Oh boy, don't get me started," Caspar laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, Caspar remembering the way he had lost his way back to his apartment on his first day moving in.

Ashe himself had contemplated moving, but sentiment had stopped him short of moving to Garreg Mach City entirely. The move would've been a big one for Ashe. 

He'd be far away from Lonato and Christophe, who had helped and provided for him for so long, and he'd be far away from his siblings, who he loved dearly. He knew he had to be independent at some point- but such a significant change so soon seemed like a bit too much. He didn't understand how Caspar managed to do it- though he suspected his roommate, Hilda, and the former home situation he alluded to were factors in that.

Ashe was just grateful Caspar had been willing to let him sleep in their guest bedroom when classes ran too late.

"You should know them! I've mentioned them before at least. Dorothea and Petra. You remember them, right?"

"The names are vaguely familiar, yes."

"Thought so. Here, do they look familiar? It's from our graduation prom only a couple of moons ago. Petra's on the left and Dorothea's on the right." Caspar leaned over and pointed his phone at Ashe's face, zoomed in on a group photo with Caspar in it, some of them wearing formal wear and other wearing stylish clothes, but nothing nearly as fancy. The zoom focused on two girls in question.

Dorothea, the brunette girl on the right with striking green eyes was quite beautiful and wore a casual, yet stylish white and red outfit. But the other, Petra, had turned his world upside down at a single glance.

Ashe gaped at her. Somehow, someway, Ashe's eyes stayed glued to her, looking into the girl's amethyst eyes- utterly alluring, yet somehow warm and calming not unlike the ocean. He quickly noticed her plum purple hair done up in an utterly complicated braid and the mark on her face that had seamlessly fit to be a part of her like it was a piece of a puzzle that completed her. Her smile captivated him immediately, his face turning up to match hers just a little, and her skin that seemed to glow brightly through the screen.

And her dress- well, to say Ashe nearly short-circuited when he saw it would be an understatement. The young man had not realised his heart had begun to beat a little faster than he last remembered. 

It was modest, but it was stunning on her regardless, like a supermodel out of those magazines on the corner store shelves he never bought. He had to restrain himself from gaping at the picture- and Goddess above, he really tried his best to ignore the fact his heart wasn't just beating fast, but pounding intensely against his ribs.

Ashe simply nodded and made an expression of recognition to hide his embarrassment. "A-Ah, I think I remember you were showing me a picture of them before, but I think you were all together in uniform."

"Was it with that one where everyone's hugging that short brunette girl?"

"Yes! That's the one!" Ashe nodded, surprised Caspar picked out that specific picture.

"Oh yeah! That must've been two years ago when some of my friends in the year above us graduated before we did. It sure was difficult for the rest of us."

"R-right. I can understand how that feels," Ashe mumbled, eyes locked to the TV, still thinking about _her_. There was a measure of truth to that. After Mercedes, Sylvain, and Dedue graduated by his third year, their presence, or lack thereof, was felt during his senior year, even if those who remained tried to make up for it.

Caspar hummed sympathetically. 

"Yeah. It was kind of hard on Petra. She's from Brigid you and came to Enbarr before she started high school. Her Fodlanese was almost non-existent, and it's still a little broken now, but to go so far in five years? It just goes to show how incredibly smart she is," Caspar explained. "Dorothea was probably her first real friend before we met her. She graduated the year before us with some of the others, but Petra still pulled through. She's strong like that too, y'know?" Caspar grinned.

Ashe nodded, thinking about Brigid. The island country was a popular tourist destination with a rich history and culture. He'd always wanted to go, utterly fascinated by some of the cuisines and the various flora and fauna that inhabited the islands he'd seen online. 

"Honestly, I thought she was going to move back for good," Caspar absentmindedly continues. "But she's been doing long-distance studying with GMU for a couple of moons. Dorothea's been commuting to GMU for a while from Adrestia as well, but when she found out Petra intended to move back here, everything kind of just fell into place."

Ashe hummed in reply, unsure of what to say, and the conversation died down very quickly. Caspar's cat, Thunderbrand, leapt up onto the couch from the flooring, somehow unnoticed by them both. Their eyes snapped to the cat, watching him strut up towards Ashe, poking his head at Ashe's arm before it crawled into his lap. Thunderbrand climbed onto Ashe's chest, wide beady black eyes surrounded by a blue cornea stared up at him and Ashe felt his heart melt a little. Ashe picked up the cat and snuggled up against him, Thunderbrand purring and letting out a satisfied meow, leaning into Ashe's chest.

"He likes you a lot," Caspar comments, amusedly watching his friend.

"It kind of surprised me, considering he scratched me the first time I met him," Ashe chuckled. 

Caspar winced. "Uhh, yeah, sorry about that."

"It's fine, really Caspar."

Caspar opened his mouth to retort but somehow managed to stop himself. "Well, that's good to know. Speaking of Thunderbrand, are you doing anything around Christmas? Like, going away?"

Ashe looked at Caspar curiously, then up at the ceiling in thought. "No. I don't think I am. Why?" 

"Well, you see…"

* * *

The second time Ashe concluded that love at first sight sucked, was minutes before he was meant to meet Caspar at the front of his apartment. 

Ashe dragged himself off the train and ran for the taxi stand. The young man yawned sharply and pushed through the peak hour crowds, the sound of his suitcases' wheels turning behind him filling his ears when the public didn't. Somehow, he'd managed to sleep in longer than he intended, and narrowly missed the train he intended to take to arrive on time.

Waving a driver down, Ashe tossed his bag into the car's trunk and took the front seat, giving the driver Caspar's address. It was not so far away that he couldn't walk there himself, but considering he told Caspar, he'd be there on time, he had no time to lose.

Ashe slumped in his chair with his left palm covering his face, his thumbs and fingers rubbed his temples. For the umpteenth time since he last went to Caspar's apartment, that girl he'd seen in that picture, Petra, still had a disturbing hold on his mind, one that still held onto the last dregs of a dream he'd dreamed more than once before. The young man couldn't contemplate how on earth the mere sight of some girl he never met had consumed him so thoroughly; he didn't recall Ingrid or Annette being able to do it so quickly.

The taxi pulled up in front of Caspar's apartment building minutes later, Caspar and Hilda nowhere in sight. The phone in the deep pockets of his jacket buzzed as he shut the car's trunk.

_3:15 PM - Caspar I'm so sorry, I somehow fell asleep and, well, I'm late!!! I'll be there ASAP._

_\---New Messages---_

_Nah dont worry about it ashe, the lady @ the front desk has the spare key 4 u. Thanks for doing this btw, I appreciate it. - 3:30 PM_

_Shoot me a call if u need 2 thunderbrand is very demanding in winter! - 3:30 PM_

Ashe sighed in relief, eager to get inside to stave off the cold air, his exhaled breath condensing into cold clouds. He still felt a little guilty- he did promise to meet them before they left, but Ashe knew it couldn't be helped. When Ashe finally stepped into the lobby of the apartment building, he typed out the remainder of a message he started once the air inside warmed his hands.

_3:32 PM - I'll keep that in mind! Have a good time!_

He shoved the phone in his pocket and dragged the suitcase to the front desk, the lady on night shift recognising him and passing off a set of keys to him. Ashe thanked her, taking the elevator up. Pleasant elevator music filled his ears for a few moments before a loud chime signalled his arrival, and the door to Caspar's apartment floor opened. Ashe hastily opened up and stumbled into the apartment, somehow being clean before when he arrived, much to Ashe's relief. All he had to do was just maintain that cleanliness for a week and feed Thunderbrand.

Though, such a thing was perhaps easier said than done. When Ashe switched on the TV, he caught clumps of snow being tossed off the balcony from the apartment next door and realised how his balcony was snowed in. He sighed, intending to stake out the bathroom for anything he could use. Upon entering, Ashe's gaze was meeting with a rather unfortunate sight. Thunderbrand stood frozen on the bathroom floor. The kitten instinctively sat down, his orbs adorably staring up at him that both melted Ashe's heart and frustrated him.

"Thunderbrand..." Ashe drawled out and pursed his lips. The kitten's stare didn't let up. "Why is there a puddle _next_ to your litter box?"

Thunderbrand meowed innocently in reply. And so, Ashe's first afternoon was unfortunately spent on cleaning up after the kitten and shovelling snow off the apartment balcony. He rushed back inside some hours later, far and away from the cold. Ashe grabbed the nearby kettle and prepared tea, Caspar and Hilda's tea stash readily filled with Angelica and Mint for how often he visited them.

Some minutes later, Ashe sat down at the couch, bundled up in a plethora of blankets Hilda had so nicely folded up for Ashe. Thunderbrand followed after him, landing in his carer's lap in a single bound, and curled into a ball. Ashe glanced down with a warm smile, one hand rubbing the cat's head and the other holding his fresh cup of Angelica tea.

Sometime later, Ashe yawned and rested his head on the couch's pillow, his eyes slowly closing down, pulling him into a deep sleep. His eyes shut entirely, and his consciousness wavered but only for what felt like a moment. A sudden loud buzz echoed through the apartment and Ashe jolted up, scaring the daylights out of Thunderbrand- had he been there at all. The cat that was once lying on Ashe's stomach had already disappeared. Ashe pushed off the couch and staked out the front door. The peephole didn't provide too much of an idea who had buzzed the door, but they were undoubtedly familiar in a way he couldn't quite put a finger on. Deciding it was safe, he opened the door the remainder of the way to greet the mystery person on the other side.

Ashe's mouth parted and eyes widened, his legs froze in place all at once.

Plum purple hair? Check.

Sun-kissed skin, with a purple mark underneath the right eye? Check.

The same beautiful face Ashe so vividly for no good reason? Check.

Adorably bundled up in a green jacket? Check, check, check.

By some twist of fate, Petra, the girl wouldn't leave his mind be after seeing a _photo_ of all things was standing in front of him. She gazed blankly into his eyes. 

"H-hi?"

His voice cracked. Goddess strike him down; that just happened. _Very nice Ashe, way to make a first impression,_ he scolded himself mentally.

"Oh. Hello," Petra greeted him, surprise written on her face, with something else Ashe couldn't quite put his finger on. "You are not Caspar."

Ashe straightened his back and cleared his throat. "Um, no. I'm not. I am a friend that's keeping an eye on his apartment until he and Hilda get back, though."

"Ah, I have understanding. I am already forgetting Caspar and Hilda had been leaving this afternoon and not tonight. But I have curiosity- you are Ashe, yes?" she asked him, and Ashe blinked, surprised she knew who he was.

"O-oh, yes, I am. How did you know?"

"Caspar has been telling me about you," she explained, her eyes scanning his face like a curious hawk. "A picture was being shown by him. It was your lunch being taken when that bird- the emu," Petra smirked a little. "I was having much amusement, seeing your reaction."

Her smirk made Ashe's eyes flicker away, his cheeks warm a little. "Ah, he showed you that picture? Yeah, it's not one of my most flattering moments," Ashe chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

The girl giggled when his face turned a light shade of red, shaking her head. "I do not agree, but I digress, I am thinking."

Ashe cleared his throat to change the subject. "Funnily enough, actually, Caspar told me about you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Ashe reaffirmed. "He told me you were moving into the next apartment next to him if I recall correctly. He also showed me a picture of you at the prom you went to. You looked great, by the way."

Petra blinked and shied away from Ashe, her cheeks tinted red.

Ashe wanted to groan out embarrassment audibly and curl up into a ball. ' _Nicely done, Sylvain.'_

"...So I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when you appear like this before me. Strange coincidence, huh?" he continued, speeding past his impromptu compliment.

"It is a strange one, yes."

"Yep," Ashe replied, unsure of what to say next. Seeing Petra's eyes look away from him again, the atmosphere change made Ashe panic a little.

"Right. Well, um, did you want anything in particular? I'm not sure if I can help if you were after Caspar specifically."

"Yes." The girl nodded her head. "I need Caspar's height, I am thinking. But since you are of similar stature, I am hoping you will help me."

"Oh, sure," Ashe blurted with no hesitation, forgetting the fact his heart was pounding, and he could barely concentrate. Still, he persevered, hardly wanting to take back his offer to assist. "I'd be happy to help. What is it that you need?"

Petra's expression rose into one of relief. "That is good. I will show you after follow me. Quickly, please," she motioned for Ashe to follow. Making sure his keys were safely in his pocket, he followed after the girl and entered her apartment, mostly identical to the one he had to look over, barring an empty brandy bottle on the kitchen bench.

"Is that…?"

"Yes," Petra nodded, sounding somewhere between sad and disappointed. "I am assuming Caspar was showing you, Dorothea, yes? She has had a stressful week, and a bad date last night was not helping. I am thankful today was being her day off, but I fear she is going to be as bad as Manuela if she does it again."

"Oh settle petal, Petra. It was just a one-off, I promise," a new voice slurred. Petra's eyes widened, her head snapped up past Ashe, who's gaze soon shifted over to the kitchen entrance, where Dorothea stood against the wall in a woolly shirt and long pants, her hair in a frazzled mess. The brunette rubbed her eyes and looked up. She blinked at Ashe, then at Petra, then at Ashe again. Ashe swore he heard Petra mutter something under her breath, distinctly not in Fodlanese.

Dorothea's eyes squinted. "Wait…"

"Dorothea."

Gasping sharply, Dorothea pointed at Ashe. "It's you! Petra, honestly, you should've told me we'd have company-"

"Dorothea!" Petra said, raising her voice, suddenly full of authority. "Please. Ashe is getting _him_ down."

"Him?" Ashe blinked.

A quiet and familiar meow echoed from above them. Ashe followed the source of the sound, finding a familiar dark furry face peeking over the edge of a tall cupboard shelf. "Thunderbrand?!" Ashe exclaimed. "Wait, what are you doing here? How did you get up there?"

The cat meowed back at Ashe and stood up, looking down at the ground. "Hey, hey, be careful!" Ashe frowned standing underneath the cat's position. Thunderbrand meowed a little louder, evidently shaken by the great leap he'd have to make, shifting back and sitting down.

"Here," Petra called out and slid a stool towards him. "My height is not being enough, and Thunderbrand is, well, not liking Dorothea if I am being putting it lightly."

"Very light," huffed Dorothea. "I still remember that scratch he put on my face earlier."

Ashe stood on the stool carefully, holding out his hands towards Thunderbrand. "Hey. Thunderbrand, it's me," Ashe whispered. The cat perked up and peered over the edge to see Ashe's hands outstretched. The cat hesitated, but in time it leaned over and leapt into Ashe's arms, the kitten meowing in Ashe's embrace. The relieved young man stepped off onto the solid ground and rested Thunderbrand's head laid gently against his shoulder.

"Honestly, how on earth did you even get here?"

"The balcony," Petra pointed behind her. "Our balconies are quite close. I was shovelling out snow from ours, and I am thinking I was leaving the door open. When I was seeing Thunderbrand walk in, I accidentally scared him, and he was climbing up there like a tree, somehow."

Ashe furrowed his brow and immediately wanted to facepalm himself, realising the door to his balcony was also conveniently left open. Even if they were close, Ashe shivered at the thought of Thunderbrand falling off and getting hurt- or worse. Ashe held him a little tighter.

"I'm just glad you're safe. Thank you for telling me, Petra," Ashe smiled warmly.

Petra licked her lips that had dried up very quickly since she'd first encountered him. "I am just being glad Caspar's little adventuring kitten is safe." She stepped closer to Ashe. "May I try to pet him?"

Ashe looked at her and turned to his side. "S-sure! Go ahead. Just uh, make sure you don't rub under his chin. He doesn't like that. Bit Caspar pretty hard once when he insisted on doing it."

She took the opportunity and rubbed Thunderbrand's head. Ashe scratched the kitten's back simultaneously, with satisfied purr rising from the kitten leaning on Ashe's shoulders.

"Caspar was not telling me there was someone to be feeding Thunderbrand. I would like to offer, but I am not sure that is a good idea."

"Oh?" Ashe cocked his head to the side, curious.

"We have little food. Me and Dorothea are wanting to be buying fresh food, but we are will be having takeaway for the second time instead. I am not wanting more, but Dorothea is insisting we will only be doing so until she is being paid again, and I do not have a job here yet."

"Which is tonight! One more night of junk and I promise I'll put together the freshest, healthiest meal you desire, Petra," Dorothea interjected, sitting at the small table in the corner of the kitchen.

Petra looked back at her roommate. "Please do not have offence Dorothea, but my faith in your cooking ability... I am wishing it could be better."

"Petra! I'll have you know that my cooking isn't THAT terrible," Dorothea blanched in mock shock.

Petra rolled her eyes and grinned. "Dorothea, do not worry. Your chocolate cake in a mug is to be dying for."

Dorothea crossed her arms, satisfied with the answer.

Ashe contemplated what Petra told him all the while before an idea finally came to him.

"Well, if you don't want to have takeaway to eat, perhaps I could make you two something? Caspar and Hilda stocked up the fridge for me before they left, so I'm certainly in no shortage of the essentials."

Petra and Dorothea's gazes focused back on him, Ashe feeling a little nervous all of a sudden.

"I am appreciative of you offer Ashe, but you do not need-"

"Yes!" Dorothea exclaimed, slamming her hands on the table. Ashe and Petra looked at her strangely, before Dorothea cleared her throat. "What I mean was: Yes, Ashe. We would _absolutely_ appreciate it if you would make something for us. In fact," Dorothea drawled, eyeing Petra. "We would love to have you eat with us. It is only fair you have a share of the food since you're so willing to help. And besides, the more, the merrier, right?"

Ashe didn't catch the panicked glare Petra shot at Dorothea.

"O-oh. Well, that's okay with you, then I'd be more than happy to join you two." 

"Great!" Dorothea cheered. "Seriously Ashe, thank you so much. If we had any more takeaway, I might have just lost it."

"It's not a problem at all," Ashe replied, shaking his head. "My brother, Christophe, and my father take turns making dinner for the week. I'm sure I can come up with something," he reassured them. 

His eyes met Petra's before he recalled something.

"Petra, Caspar told me you're from Brigid, right? I've always wanted to try making a dish from there. Would you two be willing to be my taste testers? It'll be my first time making something like it, so it may not turn out so fantastically, fair warning."

Petra's mouth parted, surprised at his offer. She looked to Dorothea for a moment, who vigorously nodded at her when Ashe didn't seem to notice. The Brigidian girl looked at him and nodded. "Okay, then. I would be appreciating… appreciate that very much, Ashe."

"Alright! That's settled then. I'll see what I can do- just as soon as I get this little guy's dinner. If he waits any longer, he might start endlessly meowing and clawing at furniture- and I don't think you two will want to deal with that."

"Certainly not."

"I would not mind."

Ashe blinked at their immediate, opposing responses and chuckled. "Thunderbrand will remember that, Dorothea." The brunette responded silently with a poked tongue at the cat lying on his shoulder. 

Ashe quickly saw himself out, eager to cook something new in unfamiliar territory. He fumbled for his keys and attempted to unlock the door-

A soft cough stole his attention away. 

There Petra stood against the door frame belonging to her apartment's entrance.

"Ashe."

"Oh, Petra. Is something wrong?"

She bit her lip a moment before she spoke again. "No. I am wanting to give you my gratitude, Ashe. I am often thinking about home a great deal, so this is meaning much to me. Though it is making me feel sadness, that I feel I cannot repay you for doing this."

Ashe looked at her curiously for a moment. "While I appreciate it, Petra, I don't agree," Ashe said, shaking his head with his cheeks rising. 

Petra tilted her head, confused before he spoke again.

"I'm not doing this because of who you are, or what you could give me in return. I'm doing this because I like helping people- and I like helping my friends. And you two looked like you needed some help so... here we are."

"We are… friends? Are you speaking truth?"

"Of course. Friendship isn't determined by how long we've spent together. At least, that's how I see it, so I'd hope so at least."

Petra's eyes widened at his statement. Ashe shifted, unsure if he made the inappropriate comment. A moment later, Ashe spotted a twinkle in her eye as she grinned to match her smile.

"Thank you, Ashe. When can me and Dorothea be expecting you?" 

"Ah… well, I'm not too sure, to be honest. If I had your number, I could give you two the heads up ahead of time?" 

He inwardly groaned, Ashe's heart dropping when Petra didn't immediately respond; an achingly slow eternity passed until she did. "Yes. That would be helpful," Petra agreed.

Ashe almost dropped Thunderbrand when her words reached his ears. He held Thunderbrand securely with one hand, the other shakily unlocking his apartment door. 

"Ashe."

"Yes, Petra?"

"Another photo of you was being shown to me by Caspar. It was at your prom," Petra smiled with a hint of shyness. "You too, were looking great, I am thinking."

Ashe stumbled over his words, barely getting out a 'thank you' and farewell to Petra. He nearly tripped over himself when he re-entered his apartment, her words ringing in his mind. Ashe took it back. Maybe love at first sight wasn't so bad after all- even if he nearly hurt himself thinking about it.

* * *

Petra closed the door and leaned her forehead against the cold surface. She ruminated over the comments Ashe made before she gave him her number and hastily retreated inside before her heart began to tear itself at the seams, if only by how quickly it was beating.

She composed herself and turned back to find Dorothea sitting at the table still, her elbow propped up on the it, her cheek leaned into the palm of her right hand. The brunette quirked an eyebrow, a tiny smirk nearly rising on her lips. 

"So?"

Petra quirked an eyebrow back. "So, what?"

"Was he everything you'd thought he'd be, your Mr. Knight-In-Shining Armour? Did you at least give him your number?" Dorothea asked, trying her best to maintain a neutral expression.

Petra rolled her eyes. "My phone number was exchanged with his, yes. But we are just friends, Dorothea."

"Oh? He took the initiative, did he? You know, you've always said you always appreciated someone who does that, right? And when a cute boy does it, you're suddenly pulling out the high school special- _'we're just friends, I swear!'"_ she said mockingly. "You should thank Caspie at least. He definitely did this just to set you two up, I just _know_ it."

"Dorothea, please." Petra frowned, not wanting to discuss this with not-so sober Dorothea. The Brigidian girl didn't want to give Caspar _that_ much credit- because she knew only a loopy Dorothea would think Caspar would try to do something like trust his home and cat to someone just to set him up with a friend.

It was already embarrassing enough that she was mesmerised by him in a _photo._ She didn't need Dorothea pointing out every nervous tick he made her do, and every crack he made in her carefully constructed emotional armour.

"Ooo, you wanna kiss him so bad, don't you?" Dorothea teased sarcastically, cackling all the while; still a little out of it from the brandy she consumed earlier. "I'm kidding, Petra. Don't worry. I'll stop now."

Petra looked away from her with a huff to hide her reaction, though her blush had intensified enough to give her away.

Dorothea's eyes widened. "Oh. Oh my. Oh, Petra," her friend smiled happily. "You have it _bad_ , don't you?"

Petra's head jerked to her friend with a glare. "Dorothea!" Petra hissed.

"Oh settle down, hun. You'll have all week to ask him out. No harm, no foul, I think. Besides, I'm sure he won't mind having another person to keep warm with, in this weather."

"Hush. Please do not say any more, Dorothea," Petra huffed, annoyed.

"And I think he's going to freak when he finds out you're a real-life princess who's smitten with a foreign city boy. I'm sure he'd love to see the way you were looking at him when he wasn't noticing- just like when Caspar showed you that picture of him a couple of weeks ago," Dorothea waved her phone around, ignoring her roommate's pleas.

_'Photo evidence. Fantastic.'_ Petra rubbed her temples. A part of her hoped she wouldn't have to deal with Dorothea's incessant teasing come time for them to eat dinner.

Petra later thanked the spirits when Ashe arrived with food in tow to a passed out Dorothea.

"Where's Dorothea?"

"She will not be joining us. She was not feeling well, unfortunately." 

"Oh. That's a shame," Ashe frowned momentarily, his lips turned up into a bright grin. "Well, more for us then, I suppose?"

Petra smiled. "Yes. More for us."

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Again, if felt ooc in any way, apologies in advanced. Feels like forever since I've written for these two when it really hasn't 😅
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated, as usual! I hope you all have a great day on top of that 🙏


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